response 1 of 13:

Aug 8 19:17 UTC 2002

I said in Agora that I've had four declawed cats, but I've actually lived with
five. The first one was declawed in the days when it was just getting to be
vogue, around 1980 or so. It spent three days how from the hospital with guaze
around its front paws, and it was miserable most of its life. Had that been
my only experience, I probably would have never had another cat declawed. I
believe the declawing truly and permanently traumatized it.
 
And now I remember I've had six! Sheesh, I'm forgetful. Anyway, when Valerie's
childhood buddy tabbycat died, we adopted a friend's cat, who came declawed.
He was a weird one, but I think that was more to do with his homelife than
anything else. When *he* died, Valerie bought a kitten at a pet shop on a
grief whim, without remember that we lived in an apartment that required cats
to be declawed. After much debate, we talked to our vet about the declawing,
expecting the same bandaged mess when he came home. Instead, we picked him
up, and his paws looked normal. We asked the vet, and she told us all about
the wonders of skin glue. She also said the procedure itself had become much
more humane.
 
He spent a day or so mopey, but perked up, and today is one of the cuddliest,
friendliest cats on this planet (according to everyone who's met him... when
we have contractors over, he makes them pet him before they can get to work).
Since we also had him castrated when he was declawed, it's also hard to tell
how much of the pouting could be attributed to one surgery or the other, or
just the whole concept of surgery.
 
Since then, we've adopted one cat who came declawed, and have declawed two
others. Two of them have had mental problems independent of the declawing (one
had at UTI, which tends to make cats shy and cranky; the other had brain
damage from nearly dying of exposure). The other male is perky, friendly, and
kittenly annoying. And he beats up the other cats in the neighborhood, as well
as catching birds(!!) and mice.
 
Is declawing the kindest thing in the world? No. It's non-consensual
mutilation, and it's for predominantly selfish reasons (to protect the
furniture, rugs, and skin), although in multi-cat households, it's usually
best if all the cats are in the same state of declawing. Is it a selfish act
of imposing human will on animals? Yep, you betcha. But I don't honestly feel
taht the truama to the cat -- using today's methods -- is permanent; my own
experience suggests otherwise, so I don't see it as a heinous act, such that
death is preferable to declawing. 

response 3 of 13:

Aug 8 19:57 UTC 2002

My cat had a bit of hard time when she was declawed. That is because 
she was 6 years old at the time. The older a cat is, the more traumatic 
it is. The only thing I regret is not having her declawed when I first 
got her which is when I had her spayed. She was a very young cat and 
the procedure would have been easier on her. Anyhow, she has not had 
any lasting weirdness from being declawed. Her spine is fine. She is a 
happy cat. She no longer gets squirted with the water bottle when 
she "claws" the furniture. She seems to like that she is allowed to do 
it now. 

I had another cat who was declawed but he came that way. In a way, when 
I had him, it was the best of both worlds. I could think that de-
clawing was mean while still enjoying the advantages of a declawed cat. 
If I ever get another cat, I will probably go this route...You know, 
find one that is *already* declawed at the Humane Society. 

The reason declawing in my case would be saving a cat's life is because 
I have decided not to own a cat with claws ever again. Since there is 
such a surplus of cats, any cat I take is one less cat that dies at the 
local shelter (which is where I would go to get a cat). 
 

response 5 of 13:

Aug 8 20:27 UTC 2002

I wouldnt mind taking in a stray if one came my way. There are lots of 
stray cats that end up at the shelter. 

Nope. I really tried everything with this cat. Scrathing posts, 
trimming her nails (which traumatized her), claw caps (which really 
traumatized her!), squirt bottles, "cat away" spray...everything. 

response 7 of 13:

Aug 9 12:45 UTC 2002

This is an issue that I'm kind of wibbly on, like docking a dog's ears 
and tails (Take the Doberman, who as I understand it has a very weak 
tail that tends to repeatedly break and cause much discomfort to the 
dog if it's not docked). For some cats declawing seems to be the best 
option- but I'm still really rather against it. I do think it's cruel, 
and the methods they use really don't make me that happy either. Laser 
cutting tendons- so they still have the claws but can't unsheathe them, 
or cutting knuckles/nail beds out just doesn't sound all that pleasant 
or needed to me. For the most part I don't think it's necessary and 
that's it's really just to make life easier on the people. 

Sasha has her chair that she claws- but she leaves the rest of the 
furniture alone. She only claws people when they don't give her space 
and after she's already warned them that she was feeling cranky. 
Granted she feels cranky a lot, but she bats at you a few times without 
claws first and even then is more likely to bite (not generally hard 
enough to break the skin) over clawing. When she has left claw marks it 
usually isn't on purpose. I clip her claws when I think about it- and 
while initially it seemed to traumatize her, she's worlds better about 
it now- if we're in the right location. In the living room with people 
and other animals around is not the right place, in the quiet of my 
room with just the two of us is fine. She still grumbles and tries to 
pull her paws away but isn't traumatized at all. But that's Sasha.

The place I do volunteer work at only accepts declawed cats, which I 
wasn't sure of at first- but upon later thought this made sense given 
how many people they have coming in and out and the sheer number of 
cats (though there are only 16 at present). Kitty wants to work with 
fostering some of the older cats out to older people, in that aspect it 
also make sense.

In fact, Kitty's sheet at the Humane Society states that she accepts 
housecats 10+ and front declawed- she wouldn't have a 10+ cat declawed 
though. Actually, there is one cat there that has her front claws- the 
17 year old matriarch Megan, who just isn't the personality of cat to 
actually use her claws.

I can't say that I would *never* get a cat front declawed- but the 
reason to do so would have to be a really good one. My family talks 
about cats who are 'claw responsible' like Alex who is fully clawed and 
goes outside, declawing him was never much of an issue because he 
didn't use them in the house, Liska was not learning to be claw 
responsible and used her claws on *everything* and everyone, and as she 
was intended to be an indoor only cat, she was front declawed.

I still don't like it, but I can't say it is the ultimate evil in the 
universe.

response 11 of 13:

Aug 28 21:23 UTC 2002

you bet!  but i also save the claws cuz they make real nice
TOOTHPICKS for picking the sinewy kitten gristle out of my
rotten teeth...

response 13 of 13:

Sep 3 19:00 UTC 2002

you bet!  also the nose-skin which make nice bunion pads...